Altitude training preps XC for season at sea level
Kevin Chen (12) sprints ahead of Aaron Gursel (10). The two trained in Big Bear this summer.
Despite his excitement for training at Big Bear, Wil Mumby (12) didn’t expect the cramps, the side aches, and the lack of oxygen from running in a high-altitude camp.
“It was just around six miles, which didn’t seem that bad going out,” Mumby said. “But then I started getting cramps, hurting in various places, and losing my breath quickly. For me, it was a pretty drastic change from the typical suburban community to the wilderness.”
Cross country’s theme this year is “Dare to Be a Glorious Failure,” which signifies taking the audacious risks in order to make a stronger athlete. To prepare, the team participated in Big Bear’s summer camp, an extremely intense, high-altitude camp with a goal to unite and connect the team.
Westview’s players stayed in their own lodge at the high-elevation resort for five days, Aug. 4-8, where they had the chance to bond as teammates and friends between the camp’s different exercises. They pushed through daily strenuous hill workouts and sometimes ran up to 15 miles in a day.
“It’s a good location for training,” Mumby said. “Running without much air definitely raises your stamina.”
Although 15 miles might disconcert many, the Westview runners were prepared. Coach John Colson assigned a prerequisite that allowed the team to grow tougher.
“Before they were allowed to go, the boys ran 300 miles, while the girls ran 200 miles, between the first of June and the time that camp started,” Colson said.
Mike Kloha (11), who will be participating in his first year of cross country, said it was to get used to the radical transition to the high-altitude atmosphere.
“The first two days were really hard,” Kloha said. “When you get up there, you breathe a lot harder and you feel like you’re still not getting the air you need.”
To help make the running as painless, yet as effective, as possible for the students, the camp also focused on running form. Kloha said that form is a huge part of training.
“It really helps to have good form,” Kloha said. “If you don’t, it only makes it harder to keep up.”
Moreover, despite the lack of oxygen that caused the runners to tire and affected their performance at the camp, Kloha discovered that bonding together as a team allowed the players to endure the tiring experience with much more ease.
Although the days at Big Bear may have been long and strenuous, the camp did not falter in serving motivation and inspiration for the players who attended.
“We had a gentleman who came up and talked to the team,” Colson said. “He trained a couple of years ago at the Olympic center. I think his presence and his speech really had a big impact on the players.”
Furthermore, the five days at camp were not fully spent at the resort in Big Bear; the Westview team visited a local high school, where they were able to train and performed relays on their dirt track, as well.
“We had teams of three and we ran around the track trading off and running a lap each,” Mumby said. “We wound up running a total of thirty-something laps. Even though the atmosphere still made it harder, it was overall a great experience.”
Coming home from Big Bear, the players felt the pressure of exhaustion from reverting to their old habits and daily routines at a lower elevation.
“It was pretty exhausting throughout the whole week,” Mumby said. “When we got back, I know a lot of people who took a couple of days off before going back to practice. I took three days off myself, just to recuperate.”
Despite the draining experience of summer camp, Colson and the players are excited for next year when they will maintain the tradition of attending summer camp for cross country. Although this year witnessed the first high-altitude training, the runners are not distressed to undertake the experience in the future.
In the meantime, enjoying the fruits of his hard training at Big Bear, Mumby said his team quickly observed the improvements in the Westview players’ performance.
“He’s been constantly reminding us how much better we look this year than previous years,” Mumby said. “He said that this is probably going to be the school’s best team.”